Lamp bracket



A 1,553,610 W. S. HARLEY LAMP BRACKET Filed April 13, 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. l5, 1925.

w. s, HARLEY LAMP BRACKET 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April l5. 1922 sept. 15,1925.` 1,553,610

W. S. HARLEY LAMP BRACKET :med April 15 1922 s sheets-sheet 3 Patented Sept. 15, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM S. HARLEY, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T0 HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR CO., OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN.

LAMP BRACKET.

Application filed April 13, 1922. Serial` N0. 552,409.

To all whom t may concer/n.:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. HARLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Lamp Brackets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a lamp bracket.

The electric lamps employedon self propelled vehicles, such as motorcycles and automobiles, are ordinarily rigidly fastened thereto and subjected to shocks resulting from passage of the vehicle over rough roads and uneven pavements and to vibrations of the engine.

Such shocks and vibrations cause breakage of the lamp'bulb filament.

An object of this invention, therefore, is to so support a lamp bulb on a vehicle that breakage of the filament thereof due to shocks and vibrations of ythe vehicle is greatly reduced, if not entirely eliminated. Y Another object is to provide cushioning means between a vehicle and the bulb of an electriclamp mounted thereon.

Another object is to provide a resilient supporting. bracket for attaching an electric lamp to a vehicle.

Another object is to provide a simple dur able resilient lamp bracket which may be economically manufactured and readilyv applied to the lamp and the vehicle.

Other objects and advantages will herein-v after appear. The invention will be describedy as applied to a tail lamp of a motorcycle, although it will be understood that it may be applied to other lamps employed. on automobiles, bicycles Yand other vehicles.

The views of the drawings are: Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the rear wheel of a motorcycle and its mudguard on which a tail lamp is supported by the bracket.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the lamp attached to a motorcycle rear Wheel mud guard. f

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2. n

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectionon line 4-4 of Fig. 3. f

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged plan of the clamping plate for fastening the bracket to the mudguard.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section on line 7-7 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a vertical section through the lamp casingand. clamping plate.

Fig. 9 is aI perspective of the resilient lamp bracket.

The bracket comprises a resilient member 1. a clamping plate 2 for, fastening one end thereof to the lamp casing 3, and a clamping plate 4 for fastening the other end of the resilient member 1 to the rear mudguard 5 of a motorcycle.

The resilient member 1 is formed from a single spring wire into two spaced parallel coils 6. the middle. of the wire between the -coils being formed into an inverted U shaped arm 7A for attachment to the lamp.

The free ends or arms 8 extend from the coils in parallel relation to each other and at an angle to thel arm 7 and the extremities 9 thereof are bent toward each other to form a curved anchor which co-operates with the clamping plate 4 to lock the bracket 1 on the mudguard.

The clamping plate 2 has a grooved flange 10 for receiving the inverted U shaped bracket arms 7.

The clamping plate 2 is riveted or otherwise rigidly fastened to the rear wall 11 of the lamp casingand clamps the bracket arm 7 against the same. The grooved flange 10 prevents any movement of the bracket.

The clampingplate 2 has an internally threaded flanged opening 12 which extends through an opening 13 in the rear wall`11 and into the lamp casing. The flange assists inl positioning amd fastening the clamping plate on the lanlp casing. f i

The clamping plate 2 supports an externally threaded tubular socket 14 extending through the opening .therein and into the lamp casing 3. The socket 14 is screwed into the threaded flange 12 and may be soldered thereto to prevent the socket from working loose. I

The Socket 14 contains the usual terminals and contacts and the forward end thereof is arranged to receive the base ot an electric lamp bulb 15. The lamp bulb 15 is locked in the socket 14 by the usual bayonet joint or other suitable means.

To the lower end of clamping plate -2 is fastened a transversely extending perforated bracket 16 to which a license plate 1'? may be attached;

The usual transparent Window 18 through which light from the lamp bulb 15 shines on the license plate 17 may cover an opening in the bottom of the lampeasing The clamping plate 4 screwed or otherwise fastened-to the rear mudgnard 5 rigidly clamps or fastens the resilient lamp bracket thereto.

One end of the clamping plate 4 has a grooved flange 19 for receiving the curved extremities 9 of the lamp bracket `1, Whereby the bracket yis anchored .tol the mudguard.

'lphe clamping plate 4 is ,also provided with flanges 2O which co-operate with grooves 2 1 in the inudguard 5 to khold the armsS of the bracket in place.

When an electric lamp and 4particularlzy the -tail lamp is mounted on a motorcycle by meansbf a rigid bracket, considerable ,trouble is experienced due to breakage of the lamp bulb ilaments.` 'This breakage is due both to the shocks resulting from movement of the motorcycle `over `rough roads '.or uneven pavements and to the vibrations iot" the engine.

It Ahas been found that if cushioning means are provided between the lamp lbulb and the motorcycle, thisbreakage of lamp bulb filaments is very greatly reduced, if not eliminated entirely.

However, it has -been found that it is not necessary to insulate the lampbulb from .every road shock and engine vibration, but only :against the Vsudden shocks and vibrations.

If `an attempt be madeA to insulate `the lamp bulb Kagainst the gradual, as .well as the sudden, .shocks and vibrations, the resiliency of the cushioning means =then becomes so great that the lamp -is .continually moving ,up and Adown while the `motorcycle is ruiming, which is undesirable. f

rI,lheretore, the resiliency of the bracket 1 should .be .such as will allow movement of the lamp vin response togradual' up and down movements of ,the motorcycle while `eliminating sudden movements of the lamp ,response to su `l lezn movements ,ofthe motorcycle.

While :Cllishiolleg O'f the lamp bulb '.Olllv reduces the llllent breakage, ,this breakage .is .Still farther reduced placing the enshioning means between the entire lamp ,and the maternel@ as the .inertia-0f the lam-r 'assists the spring bracket in preventing sudden movements of the lamp.

The invention contained herein is, of course, `susceptible of other embodiments and adaptations.

The invention claimed is:

1. In combination, an electric lamp having a casing provided with an opening in a wall thereof, a resilient bracket for attaching the lamp to a vehicle, a clamping plate for clamping one end ot the bracket against the casing, said plate having a flanged opening for registering with the wall opening, and a tubular lamp bulb socket extending through the registering .openings Aand into the casing.

2. A `resilient lamp bracket comprising a wire formed into two resilient coils spaced apart by a VU-sha-Iied ,attaching arm formed ot the portion of the wire between the ,coils and lying in a pla-ne at an angle to the planes of ,the Icoils, the tree ends ot the wire extending from ,the coils in substantially the respective planes thereof vand at an vangle to the planeL ot Lthe .U-shajped attaching ,arm and `a clamping plate having a grooved flange on one end, and iside flanges for receiving kthe free ends of the lamp bracket to secure the same to the vehicle.

3. 1n combination, a vehicle mud guard having a grooved surface, a resilient bracket supported thereon comprising la spring wire formed into `two spaced coils having rearwardly extending tree ends, and a clamping plate havingside nflanges ,cooperating with the grooved surface et `the-mnd guard `to engage the free ends kof the bracket and rigidly secure the same thereto,

4. In combinatiol1 @n electric lamp having a ,casing provided with an ,opening in a wall thereof, ,a supporting bracket therefor, a clamping plate for securing the ylamp Ito said bracket, said plate having a flange extending throngh the opening in the casing to assist in positioning theV lamp on said plate. Y

.5. VIn combination, an ,electric lamp having a casing provided with an .opening in the wall thereof, a 4resilient bracket tor `attaching the lamp :to a vehicle, a clamping plate. :for ,clamping one end of the bracket ,against-.the Casing, ,Said Plate having a flanged ,opening for .registering with the wall opening, said flange extending through ythe opening ink the casing to' assist inv positioning `a lamp bulb socket -in :said plate,.and a tubular lamp bulb socket `extending through the -ref fister openings into the cas- 1re- 6. A bracket comprising a verticaljspring arm, L `SeC-@Iidarm at an ,angl-,etheretm an integral coil within the angle 'formed by the arms,- xthe second arm being formed by .two

parallel spring wires brought together ,at

their ends and forming a substantially vertical arch, a clamping plate for said second arm having parallel longitudinal grooves, and a vertical arched groove for the ends of said second arm.

7. In combination, a lamp casing provided with an opening in the rear Wall thereof, a resilient bracket for holding said casing in position relative to a. vehicle, and a plate secured to said rear Wall, said plate being pro- 10 vided with an opening to register with the Wall opening and 'to receive a lamp socket, one end of said bracket being clamped against said casing by said plate.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto sub- 15 scribed my name.

WILLIAM S. HARLEY. 

